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Appeals court indefinitely halts gay marriages in Michigan

A federal appeals court on Tuesday put an indefinite halt to gay marriage in Michigan while it takes a longer look at a judge's decision overturning a 2004 ban.

The appeals court granted the state's request to suspend a ruling by U.S. District Judge Bernard Friedman, who declared the voter-approved ban unconstitutional on Friday. The appeals panel ruled 2-1.

Friedman said conservative social scientists and economists who testified at the trial were "unbelievable" and "clearly represent a fringe viewpoint" about households run by same-sex parents.

Ingham, Washtenaw, Oakland and Muskegon counties began issuing marriage licenses Saturday before the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals stepped in with a temporary halt. Hundreds of couples were married.

Friedman ruled in favor of two Detroit-area nurses, Jayne Rowse and April DeBoer, who live with three adopted children in Hazel Park. They can't jointly adopt each other's kids because joint adoption in Michigan is tied to marriage.

Rowse and DeBoer didn't get married Saturday. They said they want to wait to see if Friedman's decision is upheld after all appeals.

Seventeen states and the District of Columbia issue licenses for same-sex marriage. Since December, bans on gay marriage have been overturned in Texas, Utah, Oklahoma and Virginia, but appeals have put those cases on hold.